February 6, 2012 [PennEnergy] - BP Products North America Inc. announced today that it has started shipping crude oil bound for the U.S. West Coast through Petroterminal de Panama (PTP)’s trans-Panama pipeline, marking the start of a seven-year transportation and storage agreement between BP and PTP. Under the terms of the agreement, BP has leased a total of 5.4 million barrels of PTP’s storage located on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of Panama and committed to east-to-west crude oil shipments averaging 100,000 barrels per day through PTP’s trans-Panama pipeline. Crude oil tankers too large to navigate the Panama Canal sail around Cape Horn in South Americato reach the US West Coast. Under the new agreement, BP-chartered Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) can now sail to the Caribbean port of Chiriqui Grande where the oil will be stored and piped to the Pacific coast port of Charco Azul and loaded on tankers bound for the West Coast.

The presence of onshore storage on the Panamanian coasts also provides for crude oil blending and optimized cargo volume and delivery window to meet individual refiners’ needs. For example, BP’s dedicated crude oil storage at these ports can help West Coast refineries reduce demurrage costs associated with having VLCCs waiting in port for prolonged periods while discharging crude into limited tankage. “BP’s ability to utilize new dedicated tankage at terminals on both coasts and the reversed pipeline will provide U.S. West Coast refiners with more diverse and flexible supply options, and also grow our business in Latin America. This overland route greatly reduces transit times and lowers freight costs for many of our customers,” said Paul Reed, chief executive of BP’s integrated supply and trading organization at a commissioning ceremony today in Panama City. “This is also good news for Panama. It creates new jobs on both coasts of the pipeline bringing increased prosperity to the region.”

Today’s ceremony was also attended by representatives of the Panamanian government, and senior executives from BP, PTP, Northville Industries, who are the managing partner of PTP, and other local businesses. (Press Release)   

By JUAN ZAMORANO - PANAMA CITY -- Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, who was toppled by a 1989 American invasion and later convicted of drug running, was transferred from prison to a hospital on Sunday because of extreme hypertension, health officials said. Health Minister Franklin Vergara said Noriega's blood pressure was very high, nearly leading to a stroke. The former military strongman arrived to a hospital, and doctors saw signs of a possible brain hemorrhage. Further X-rays and evaluations yielded normal results, Vergara said. "He is conscious, knows where he is and we are not finding any injury with long-term effects at this moment," said Vergara. Noriega will remain in intensive care for 24 hours, he said.

Panama's National Police said earlier Sunday in a statement that the 77-year-old Noriega had possibly suffered a stroke. Police took him from El Renacer prison where he was serving out his sentence to Hospital Santo Tomas in Panama City. One of his three daughters, Sandra, was seen entering the hospital, which was guarded by police agents. In December, Panamanian authorities said Noriega was suffering from mobility due to a stroke several years ago. He had paralysis on his face's left side and leg.

Noriega, who ruled Panama from 1983 to 1989, spent about 20 years in U.S. and French prisons on drug-trafficking and money-laundering convictions, before returning to Panama on Dec. 11, 2011. Shortly after returning home under heavy security, he was seen publicly in a wheelchair being helped by prison authorities. Noriega was Panama's longtime intelligence chief before becoming its top leader. While he had been considered a valued CIA asset for years, the U.S. government soured on him, especially after a top political opponent was killed in 1985 and Noriega appeared to join forces with Latin American drug traffickers.

U.S. President George H.W. Bush ordered an invasion in December 1989 to oust him from power. He was captured and brought to Miami.

Prosecutors said Noriega helped the Medellin cocaine cartel ship "tons and tons of a deadly white powder" into the United States. But the defense said the indictment "smells all the way from here to Washington." Jurors convicted him in April 1992 of eight of 10 charges. Under the judge's instructions, they were told not to consider the political side of the case, including whether the U.S. had the right to invade Panama and bring Noriega to trial in the first place. When his 17-year sentence ended in 2007, France extradited him on money-laundering charges.

Noriega also had legal troubles awaiting him in Panama, where he had been convicted in absentia of murder, embezzlement and corruption charges that carried a combined 60-year prison sentence. (Huffington Post)   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - The former military dictator of Panama Manuel Antonio Noriega has been taken from his jail cell in the El Renacer prison in Gamboa to the Santo Tomas hospital in Panama City. Early reports from the National Police indicate he may have suffered some sort of episode based on high blood pressure, with the possibility of a stroke. Telemetro reports his condition is stable.

Copyright 2012 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

The body of an unidentified man was found face down in a mangrove yesterday afternoon, Friday, 3 February 2012, in an area known as "Lighthouse Four" under the Bridge of the Americas, in Veracruz, in the district of Arraiján. The authorities from the Judicial Investigation Department are investigating the causes of death. There were people in the area, which is a tourist site, when suddenly the body in the mangroves caught their attention because it was not moving. They immediately called the National Police, whose officers cordoned off the perimeter to gather evidence in the area. Is expected they will soon reveal the victim's identity. (Critica)

   

The U.S. Embassy in Panama City alerts U.S. citizens to continued disruptions and blockages along Pan-American Highway near the San Felix area in Chiriqui (Ngobe Bugle region) and El Higo in Veraguas due to ongoing mining law protests. Anti-riot police are stationed near the area. However, demonstrators have obstructed the road and are controlling access. Most traffic on the road is stopped and the Pan American highway in these areas is effectively closed. U.S. citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations, to defer traveling to the area until the protests end, and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of any demonstrations. U.S. citizens should stay current with media coverage of local events and be aware of their surroundings at all times.

Other protests on this or other issues may occur at any time and be repeated with little or no warning. The embassy continues to caution its employees and all U.S. citizens to exercise heightened security awareness and avoid crowds as well as any areas where there are demonstrations or where confrontations could occur.

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov where the current Travel Warnings and Public Announcements, including the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, can be found. Up‐to‐date information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1‐888‐407‐4747 toll free in the U.S., or for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll‐line at 1‐202‐501‐4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

For updated information on the security situation in Panama, please contact the American Citizens Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy at 207‐7030. The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy is located in Clayton, Building 783, in the Clayton section of Panama. The Consular Section fax is 207‐7303. The Embassy web site is http://panama.usembassy.gov/ and e‐mails should be addressed to Panama‐ ACS@state.gov. After hours and emergency phone number: 207‐7000 or 207‐7200.   

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama on Friday denied the request for extradition of the former director of Colombia's DAS, Maria del Pilar Hurtado. In a statement, the Panamanian Foreign Ministry ruled on the Colombian request stating that "it has reviewed the documentation submitted, and determined that extradition is not feasible in accordance with national legislation and the Bilateral Agreement on Extradition." The Foreign Ministry of Colombia, through their Minister Maria Angela Holguin, requested the extradition of the former official to the government of Martinelli on 9 December 2011, based on the Extradition Treaty signed between the two countries on 24 December 1927.

On 19 November 2010 the government of Panama granted "territorial asylum" to Hurtado, causing the anger of many of that country's authorities for the crimes alleged against her. Among the grounds for the denial of extradition, Panama indicates that the American Convention on Human Rights (Pact of San José) provides in Article 22 that "everyone has the right to seek and receive asylum in a foreign territory in case of persecution for political or criminal offenses related to politics, and in accordance with the laws of each state and international conventions."

Hurtado is a key part in the investigations into illegal surveillance operations conducted against judges of the Supreme Court, journalists, and opposition politicians in Colombia. Last June, Colombia's Attorney General Vivian Morales confirmed that an international arrest warrant had been issued for Hurtado, when Juan Carlos Varela was serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Now, the Foreign Ministry is headed by Roberto Henriquez.

On 29 April 2011, President Ricardo Martinelli, whose government has defended the asylum granted to the former official from the times of former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, telling reporter Luis Carlos Velez, CNN in Spanish, "I don't plan to extradite the former director of the DAS." (Estrella)

Editor's Comment: Boy, she must have provided some really valuable intelligence information to Ricardo Martinelli during the run-up to the election in May 2009. I don't know what she did, but she's certainly getting paid back now.   

Panama is fast becoming retirement hot-spot for thousands of Americans, including Minnesotans. The lure of a less expensive lifestyle is motivating retirees to take a long look at living overseas. From a lower cost of living, to guaranteed discounts for retirees, to medical care at a fraction of the cost of comparable care in the United States, retirement in Panama is a very real option for anyone looking to make their retirement savings work harder.

We traveled to Panama and spend 3 days talking to Minnesotans who have already retired to Panama, we take you to see everything from a grocery store to the inside of a hospital room, so you can decide for yourself if life in Panama could be a right fit for your retirement.

Right now Panama is in the spotlight. Below we've provided links to some of the articles we read as we researched our story.

This is the biggie! The New York Times article says Panama tops the list of places to see in 2012.

Http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/travel/45-places-to-go-in-2012.html?pagewanted=all

This article provides a basic background on retirement issues and questions.

Http://www.businessinsider.com/best-places-in-the-world-to-retire-part-ii-2012-1

This article answers some basic questions on property. We were told that rental property is plentiful. The website below is a wealth of information, you could spend hours searching through this one.

Http://www.panama-guide.com/article.php/20061001104137881?query=rental+property

Finally: International Living Magazine. We spoke with Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch and she has weekly articles on Panama that provide information and insight into life in Panama. I will warn you, her articles are fun to read, and they will tempt you to sell everything and fly out later in the afternoon. (kstp.com)

Editor's Comment: Hey! Thanks for the mention, guys...   

Tourists from Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador, who have not been able to reach their destinations because of the protests on the Inter American Highway, have called on the diplomatic authorities of their countries, which are in Panama, to help them during this crisis. Mr. Omar Andino, a Honduran national, they have been without food or water for days, and only the Embassy of El Salvador provided them with some inputs but they are all gone. He said there are children and sick people with them who need medical attention, adding that the situation has not gotten worse because they received some support from residents of the area and a few ambulances were at the scene for a while. He explained they have not even been able to communicate with their relatives in different countries, a situation that has them desperate. Mr. Andino urgently requested help for him and all those who have been caught in the closing of the Inter American Highway. Some are in the area of ​​Veraguas and others in the province of Cocle. (Telemetro)   

BP has started shipping crude oil westward on the trans-Panama pipeline, the company said in an e-mailed statement. BP will ship 100,000 barrels a day to Panama’s Pacific Coast port of Charco Azul, where it will be loaded on tankers bound for U.S. West Coast refineries. Crude oil tankers too large to traverse the Panama Canal usually go around Cape Horn, according to the statement. BP also leased 5.4 million barrels of storage on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts from the pipeline operator, Petroterminal de Panama, the company said.

The storage on both coasts and the westward flow of oil “will provide U.S. West Coast refiners with more diverse and flexible supply options,” Paul Reed, chief executive of BP’s integrated supply and trading organization, said in the statement. “This overland route greatly reduces transit times and lowers freight costs for many of our customers.” The trans-Panama pipeline’s capacity is 600,000 barrels a day, the company said.

The pipeline was built in 1982 to ship Alaska North Slope crude to refineries in U.S. Gulf Coast and the Caribbean, according to the Energy Department. The pipeline was shut down in 1996, and the flow reversal was completed in 2009.   

The Colombian who died after a confrontation with the State Border Service (SENAFRONT) was a member of the 57th Front of the FARC. He presumably served as a combat medic who was attending the group of insurgents who were spotted in Alto Tuira, in the province of the Darién. Commissioner Frank Abrego, the Chief of the SENAFRONT added that three more FARC guerrillas were wounded, but they have not yet been located.

Background: On Friday, 20 January 2012, a SENAFRONT patrol in the area of Quebrada Urruti of Cerro Pirre, in Alto Tuira, located a guerrilla camp where they seized 20 camouflage uniforms, two pairs of pants, 17 shirts, and a cube with 56 rounds of M-60 ammunition, two AK-47 rifles and a Galil magazine.

It was also learned there had been a raid in Metetí where a search warrant was executed, and authorities arrested Armando Campbell Griffith, Alcides García, Cristian Julio, the Colombian Eider Samboni, and the nationalized Panamanian Luz Magali Meneses, the owner of the house in which were found two AK-47 rifles, three empty magazines, four rounds of ammunition, a 9 mm pistol with an empty magazine, and a vehicle that tested positive for traces of explosives, said Rafael Guerrero, chief of Anti Drug Operations of the Public Ministry.

While the confrontation was recorded in Alto Tuira, at the control post in Agua Fria authorities seized 100 kilos of cocaine and detained Raul Sotillo Gonzalez. (Mi Diario)

Editor's Comment: The dead guerrilla was carrying a medic kit and a rifle. Three other g's were hit and left blood trails leading into the jungle.